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Glite Dictionary
strings

strings

4 2.8
The group of musicians who play instruments like violins and cellos
  • noun
  • /strɪŋz/
translation icon : cuerdas
  • The sounds of the strings filled the concert hall during the performance of the symphony.

Examples

  • One of the Special Bands, "Pershing's Own," includes opportunities for string players and vocalists in three of its ensembles: the U.S. Army Strings, the U.S. Army Chorus, and the U.S. Army Voices.

    Academic text (2015)

  • The Bell House will soon be the home of the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings.

    Blog text (6)

  • And when a violinist plays, they draw their bow across the strings, causing the strings to vibrate and generate sound.

  • One of Macon's musical and educational treasures, the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings, will soon have a new home.

    Blog text (6)

  • Mendelssohn's Octet for Strings in E-flat, op. 20, is for the most ambitious students who wish to learn a staple of the chamber music repertoire.

    Academic text (2000)

  • The orchestra's strings played a beautiful melody that captivated the audience.

  • We could hear the strings warming up as the musicians prepared for the evening's concert.

Synonyms

string
vsstrings
62 3.3

The group of instruments like violins and cellos in an orchestra

refers to the same orchestra group but uses a longer phrase
string section
vsstrings
1 3.5

A group of musicians in an orchestra who play instruments like violins and cellos

uses the short plural name rather than the multiword phrase

Surface Forms

string singular
strings plural

Morphology

strings = string (transparent) = string + s

Regular plural formation from the noun 'string'; a B1 learner who knows 'string' will readily understand 'strings' as plural.

Etymology

Strings comes from the everyday word string, which means 'a thin cord or thread' used to tie things. Because violins, violas, cellos and double basses make sound from stretched strings, the players of those instruments are called the strings section, so strings means the group of instruments that have 'strings'.